Top 10 Raspberry Pi Hacks of 2013

Coin slots are so passé. Why not pay from your smartphone with Bitcoin? This hack customizes a pool table with an LCD display and a Pi that links to a server to return the latest Bitcoin value. Once the transaction is set, the Pi releases the balls.

This engraver was built with a Raspberry Pi, stepper motors, and laser diodes harvested from two DVD drives, plus about $10 in parts. The Python-based custom code control system interprets G code and simultaneously drives two motors on both axes.

This arcade-game table integrates a 24-inch LCD, speakers, joystick, and game buttons. It's all controlled by a Raspberry Pi with the help of GPIO output to resistors. Games are supplied using advanced mame or a web browser.

The Feeder Tweeter is a bird house that connects a PIR (passive infra-red) sensor to a solar-powered Raspberry Pi. When a bird or any other warm creature lands to feed, the Pi-directed camera takes a picture and uploads it to Twitter.

A loving HD upgrade of the Fireball pinball game from the '70s, Fireball HD Pinball uses the Pi as an I2C master to command solenoids and Arduino lighting switches. The Pi also tracks gameplay and enables music, sounds, and HD graphics.

Too lazy to record all your DVDs? No problem. The stationary Jack the Ripper robot performs that tedious disc swapping with the help of a PC application and the Raspberry Pi. The bot was built largely from a 3D printer.

This tracked, 4-wheel bot has a simple, but noble purpose: picking up ping pong balls. The mostly 3D-printed Ping Pong Robot incorporates a Pi with a MotorPiTX motor controller, a camera with a fish-eye lens, and firmware written in Go.

Made from "cheap parts purchased online," this customized Hasbro R2D2 Star Wars toy was designed as a gift for the developer's girlfriend. It combines a WiFi-enabled Pi and a camera with voice and motion recognition. It uses OpenCV for face recognition.

This balloon hack commemorates Felix Baumgartner's skydive. It combines a Pi-stuffed Babbage teddy bear with cameras, a GPS receiver, and a parachute. A camera-enabled capsule hanging between Babbage and the balloon recorded the 39km teddy jump.

Hackerloop's balloon carries a replica of the house from the movie Up!, which in turn integrates a Pi directed camera. The #Upstagram camera uses a 3G radio to push the photos to Instagram. A Linux app hacks around Instagram's Android and iOS requirement.